Price of Information
by Barra Arisa Sanguine
Summary: Information always comes with a price. This is one of the few Truths still living completely whole in the world. Even the dead have their price and one has to pay it to get the information one needs. What Price is Sheik willing to Pay? Mature themes Slash


**Title: **The Price of Information

**Pairing: **Sheik/(surprise)

**Prompt: **Second picture at http // community . livejournal . com / zeldayaoi / 53092 . html ? view 295780 Just remove the spaces **there is an equal sign between the view and 2.**

**Words: **1666

Information always comes with a price.

This is one of the few Truths still living completely whole in the world. Even the dead have their price and one has to pay it to get the information one needs.

-

Sheik sighed, casting ruby red eyes around the graveyard once more. He still did not know where to go, Impa had merely said to "seek the Hero who will save a Time that does not Exist", she would give him no more than that and refused to even see him until he fulfilled the Duty she had given him. So, he had come to Karako's graveyard, looking for answers among the dead, who Saw everything that was, would be, and could be.

The dead could be bought.

Sheik just had to be willing to pay the price that the dead wished to claim, and short of his life he would give anything to find the Hero of Time. Playing the Lullaby that Impa had taught him as a child on his harp he summoned the rain and lightening. Lightening struck the great stone grave of Hyrule's Sheikah at the far end of the graveyard. Sheik had all the divine intervention he knew he could get for a wile and hopped down the dark hole, unafraid. After all, the Goddesses would never lead of their Children of Shadow into danger so intently, would they?

The grave was dark and empty, with eyes that could see the Truth Sheik had little problems seeing, pausing only to light the torches as a formality to unlock the door at the opposite end of the chamber. The four bats were shot down at their resting places where dark stone wall met black stone ceiling. Finally the Sheikah crept across the room and into the next one. He saw the redead with their hollow eyes, mouths permanently open in a soundless scream, dark brown skin curled around their forms. He managed to avoid the lot of them as he crossed the room, narrowly avoiding the acid-like river that flowed through the room. Better to be burned than touched by one of the Redead, or so Sheik thought.

At the end of the second room was another door, this one lead to the throne room. The supposed "king" of the Redead, The creature was once a Sheikah as well and that was why Sheik came to this one instead of one of the others, a Poe, or a Statue of Truth. This one was not mindless, this one was more _human_ than the others. "Your highness," A half bow that allowed Sheik to keep his eyes on the creature, while Sheik knew that the Redead had once been a Sheikah he was not foolish enough to believe that being of the same race would save him from this creature's Price.

"What is it you would ask of me Child of the Shadows?" His voice was dry, not the harsh crackling of autumn leaves under foot, but something softer an old piece of parchment protesting as it was opened for the first time in ages perhaps.

Sheik made himself stare at the creature in its black, bottomless eyes. Why? To prove that he did not fear death or being bound to is body after death, Sheikah did not fear. "I wish to know where the Hero of Time will be once Awoken, Ruler of Those Who Forsake Death." Ancient words that brought up walls between the creature in front of him and the Eye of Truth that it still carried on it's arm. Sheik was not like this creature nor would he ever be.

"And what Price are you are you willing to Pay, Red Eyed Child?" The voice was darker now as the Redead tilted his head to the side, hands gripping the sides of his bone chair tighter in anticipation of gain. The green glow from the acid-like river was the only like making this creature look more sinister than before.

"Anything that is mine to give." A clever answer, for Sheik had bound his life to his princess's, he could not give that to the King of the Redead for it was not his to give, nor the harp at his side for that was a gift from Impa, nor the clothing of the Sheikah because that belonged to the Sheikah and not himself.

"I claim your body then, Young Sheikah for this information. Only until sunrise, that is not too high of a Price for such information, now is it?" The Redead King stretched his hand out, dark brown skin drawn tight over bone, lacking muscle and sinew required to move the appendage during life. "Are you willing to pay that Price, Sheik of the Sheikah?" The name and race were mocking coming from his lips, he had won indeed, more than the boy knew.

"I do." Sheik reached out a bandaged hand, wishing there was more physically separating himself from the creature in front of him, though no fear showed on his face. The Sheikah did not fear, after all, even the Redead were nothing for them. When he grasped the Redead King's hand he was suddenly jerked forward and onto the creature. Will only kept him from crying out. "What are you-"He stopped as the dried hand that was not clamped tightly around one of his reached up and stroked his cheek, pulling his face mask down.

"I am merely claiming my Price, as I am entitled to, Child of Shadow." And then the Redead's dried lips descended upon Sheiks's. Trained under Impa herself Sheik did not resist, he did not want to jepardize his Payment to the Redead King, but Din damn him if he was going to act like some whore and spred his legs willingly. "I can feel the life within you." It was whispered mocking a lover's usual words of tender care and the Redead King's mouth traveled from Sheik's lips down his neck, staying on his pulse point for far too long, just _feeling_ the life underneath the fragile skin, wanting to take it for his own, wanting too feel the warmth of life pulse within him once again.

Sheik's clothing was lost all too soon for the living one's liking and all too slow for the dead one's. The complicated garb of the Sheikah was nothing for one who had worn it for half a century or more. Force of will continued to keep Sheik's body from moving, reacting to the touches of the Redead King. The only thing he could not control was the flow of blood and his heartbeat, both of which the creature relished in.

"Sheikah control, especially of one so young is never perfect." The Once-Sheikah purred, hands sliding lower and lower along Sheik's body, touching things that should have best been left alone even by one living and especially by one dead. "I can feel your life and I want it for my own." Sheik began to feel fear in that moment, would the actions against his body lead to his death at the hands of this creature as well as this humiliation?

"Oh no, Little Sheikah." The Redead King seemed to read his mind as he shifted Sheik on his lap, suddenly seating the boy in his throne and sliding down, forcing open his legs. There was a bit of resistance in the movement, but how much could be allowed before the Redead King said the Deal was broken and Sheik suffered this for nothing? "I cannot drink your blood, Survivor of the Sheikah, but I can claim your essence in another fashion." A dark chuckle then Sheik could not hold back all of the tears.

-

"Your Hero will be in the Temple of Time, a moon's time from now at midday, freshly Awoken from his Seven Year Slumber, ready to do battle against the likes of evil and Ganondorf's reign." Sheik was freshly clothed and looked as if nothing had transpired between himself and the Redead King. The empty eyes regarded him with a different light. "You are quite the Sheikah, Sheik," No more titles, no more barriers between the pair on the Redead King's behalf anyway. "Almost perfect, almost." It was said with mocking admiration, adding salt to Sheik's wounds. The Redead King wanted to see Sheik break again, wanted those tears of shame, fear, and hatred. He reached a hand out and tried to stroke a finger down Sheik's cheek, tried to move the face mask away.

A hook sword through his middle stopped him.

"It is well after sunrise, Redead King." Sheik's voice was matter-of-fact as he twisted the hooked blade then jerked it back out of his once ancestor. "You no longer own my body." He stepped away as the creature fell off his throne of death, watched with a smirk on his bruised lips, hatred burning in his red eyes, as the creature turned to dust and a purple grinning Poe-spirit. A quick jerk and suddenly he was caught in a jar. "And now I own you for eternity." Sheik told the Redead King, letting him contemplate that thought before he threw the jar into the acid river. Absolute destruction was best for a corrupted one such as him, he was far too like Ganondorf for Sheik's liking to want to allow the creature continued existence, his personal grievances aside. Each Redead in the crypt was killed as viciously and violently as their King, nothing was left living or otherwise in the grave when Sheik climbed back out of it.

**A/N: So, what do you think? I got it from the second picture at at http // community . livejournal . com / zeldayaoi / 53092 . html ? view 295780 (Just remove the spaces, there is an equal sign between **view** and the **2**) she wanted to see a story for it so I thought I'd oblige her. The Redead King and everything about him is mine, the art is Klena's and Sheik is whomever made Zelda, maybe Nintendo, I dunno, either way its not mine.**


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